Posted Monday September 24, 2018 by Melissa Reilly

As a volunteer-led organisation, Lanark Community Development Trust aims to provide meaningful opportunities for local people to get involved with a range of projects in their community. We involve volunteers to bring a fresh range of diversity and skills to the organisation. Volunteers are an essential resource in supporting the successful delivery of a range of projects including everything from events and fundraising to gardening and artwork. Our website and Facebook page are the best resources to hear up to date information about new volunteering roles or opportunities to get involved.

Lanark in Bloom volunteers at Castlebank Horticultural Centre

In thinking about the value of our volunteers, we came across some very interesting stats provided by Volunteer Scotland. In a summary of the latest statistics from the Scottish Household Survey (2016), it’s found that 25% of adults living in South Lanarkshire (approx 65,500 people), volunteer formally through an organisation or group. Women are leading the fore with 30% of the female population volunteering, and 20% of the male population.

In 2016, formal volunteers living in South Lanarkshire contributed a whopping 10 million hours of their own time, which equates to a value of £146 million to the local economy! Looking at the whole of Scotland, in 2016, formal volunteering is estimated to have contributed £2 billion to Scotland’s economy.

Young volunteers from Lanark Grammar School assisting with artwork in the “Wallace Close”

Using a similar calculation method, we can estimate that our Community Garden Volunteers at Castlebank Park give over 4,000 hours of their time each year! That equates to an annual contribution of est £50,000 to the local economy.

If gardening isn’t your thing, you may be interested in volunteering with some of our local partners or visit VASLAN (Voluntary Action South Lanarkshire) for opportunities across the whole of South Lanarkshire. A small selection of local roles includes:

New Lanark Trust – a wide range of volunteering roles across the World Heritage Site.